Principium
by hanatsuki14
Summary: Two years since Zack became captain. Two years without a first officer. Starfleet is not happy. Rewrite of 'new disturbances' Rated for violence, mentions of gore and language. No more and no less than the actual game. NON-YAOI, but you can read into it whatever you want.
1. Chapter 1

**About a week ago, I submited a chapter of a story I was writing. But after a while I realised I didn't like where it was going. So I remade it. This is the result. Good point: It's finished. So no worries about that! If you've read the first one some thing might be familiar, especially the beginning, but I changed alot. Most noticably the name of the ship. What was I thinking?**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

Zack, captain of the starship _Highwind_ , was not a happy camper.

Currently he and his crew were somewhere on some no-name planet in one of the furthest corners of the know galaxy on a punishment mission. Yes, a punishment mission. It seemed that despite belonging to a mostly indipendent organisation with minimal ties to starfleet, the higher-ups there still had enough power to punish him because he was not up to protocol.

After taking command of the Highwind when his friend and former mentor Angeal had been reassigned, he had started to recruit new crewmembers to fill in the positions that fell open. Now, a little over two years later, he had filled all open positions but one. And of course it was the one starfleet deemed most important. _Never mind that I had to find replacements for over half the crew_.

When starfleet had learned he still hadn't found a first officer, they had summoned him for a meeting – read _interrogation_ – immediatly. After a two-hour long lecture about what a bad example he was and how it was important to follow the protocols, during which Zack had to do his hardest not to yawn, they had finaly come to the heart of the matter.

"Why have you not chosen one already?"

And honestly, Zack had no idea. He could have chosen a current crewmember anytime he wanted, as was the norm. He knew each and everyone of the ones in senior positions would do a wonderfull job. And yet …. It just didn't seem right.

Yuffie was too young, Barret was too hotheaded, Tifa was needed to keep Barret in check, Cid couldn't stop swearing if his life depended on it and Aeris was needed in the medical bay. That left Reeve and Vincent.

Despite how Zack admired Reeve's steady logic and cool persona, he couldn't in all honesty say he trusted the man to have his back. Oh sure, Reeve would do all in his power to help Zack or any other crewmember, there was no doubt about that. And when it came to politics and science there was no one better. But Reeve wasn't a fighter. And considering the dangerous missions they handled on a regular basis, he wanted his first officer to at least be on par with him when it came to that.

Vincent was the opposite. While the man could – and probably would – never beat him in hand-to-hand or short range weapons, he was a remarkable gunman and a good leader. Zack had left him in command a few times already and he had risen to the challenge easily. There was just something about Vincent that stopped Zack from trusting him completely. It wasn't because the man never talked about his past – nearly nobody ever did and Zack had made it clear he wasn't going to force them – it was just something about _Vincent_. There was no other way to explain.

But what really stopped him from appointing Vincent was the suspicion that he would refuse anyway. It seemed the man was more content to stay in the background. Ready to take command when he was needed, but otherwise leaving it to others to handle. Zack couldn't really blame him for it.

So that left …. nobody.

It hadn't really been an issue for them, they seemed to be working fine the way they were, but of course starfleet felt the need to intervene. _Did they really think I would just pull one out of thin air as if by magic?_

He had tried to explain. Really, he had. But it seemed they had made up their minds before he had even entered the room. The only one that had looked like he knew what Zack had tried to talk about had been Lazard, his direct superior officer. It was his steady gaze that had stopped Zack from saying something that he would regret.

So here they were, several weeks later, on what starfleet had deemed suitable punishment. Of course, they hadn't exactly worded it like that. No, the mission report had stated that _the mission requires a distinct set of skills, of which they had found lacking in other vessels contacted_. In other words: nobody wanted the mission and Zack had gotten the short end of the stick. _Joy._

Their mission objectives were pretty straightforward at least. Some scientists hadn't reported in for a mandatory briefing and starfleet had been contacted by their employers to send a ship to check up on them, which they had delegated to the SOLDIER-branch – meaning Lazard – on the grounds of them being better equiped for rescues. It was what they were there for after all.

Zack had taken it in stride. The mission required him to travel a long distance. It would take a good two weeks to even reach the planet. It would give him time to formulate a plan for his current problem.

He wasn't holding much hope in finding anybody, it had been over a month since anybody had heard from the scientists. Who knew what had happened during that time. Nontheless, he had to take in consideration that someone might be in need of medical attention, so when it came time to select the team accompanying him to the planet he made Aeris one of them. For the other members he chose Vincent and Yuffie, along with some of Barret's men, so that he had a good mix of long and short distance fighters. Tifa was left in charge of the ship.

He had wanted to take Barret with him, but since he had no idea what the situation was like on the surface he decided against it. Barret wasn't really made for stealth. No matter how much he protests to the contrary.

Once Vincent had landed the shuttle – not too close to the complex, but not too far either – he turned to his crew for a last-minute briefing.

"Alright people, listen up. Two weeks ago a non-military company last contact with some employees stationed here. It's unclear what they were doing here, but we need to be on the lookout for seven people. Two of them are scientists, the others security. Photo's have been uploaded to your PDA's. Check them before we move."

"Why didn't they send their own ships?" Biggs asked.

"A good question. I wish I had an answer, but they're not very forthcoming with information. We're lucky I managed to get the exact number of people we need to find."

A murmured "Typical" followed that statement.

"Anyways, since we don't know the situation, we will be taking a carefull approach. It could be as simple as a broken communicator, but I'm not taking any chances. Vincent, you take Yuffie and Wedge and go east. You should end up at the back of the building where there should be a backdoor. Aeris, Biggs, you're with me. Remember, stealth is our greatest advantage at the moment. Don't do anything to mess that up." He gave Yuffie a pointed look at the last sentence. "It should take us about an hour to reach the building. When you are in position, radio the other team."

Vincent nodded and turned to leave, but another question stopped him in his tracks.

"What about local wildlife?" That was Yuffie. _Good._ The question showed she was paying attention and thinking ahead.

Aeris answered before he could. "There is nothing to worry about. The planet hosts one creature that might be harmfull to us, but they are nocturnal. We should be fine as long as we don't stay for the night."

Nobody questioned her. If Aeris said it was so, then that's how it was. Belonging to a race that had a very stong connection to the flow of life, she always knew precisely what to expect when it came to plants and animals. He had asked her about it once. She had answered that sometimes the planet itself was sentient – usually only slightly and on very rare occasions completely – and it would tell her what she asked. The crew had learned not to question her. After all, why bother arguing with someone who could literally talk to a _planet_?

"Alright, you heard the lady. Move out, people."

And with that, both groups went of in their appointed directions. Zack watched Vincent's group disappear into the dense bush before he turned and started walking in the direction of the building, his Buster Sword hanging on his back. He enjoyed finally having the room to make it worth carrying it around. Usually it just sat in his room.

The trek took them longer than he had thought. They had seen the large trees when coming down, but the shrubs and vines that litred the forest floor had been hidden from view. The vines had small hooks that attached themselves to their clothes and on more than one occasion they had had to stop and untangle themselves. As it was, their clothes already sported a multitude of small rips and their arms and legs were covered with cuts. To make matters worse, for the last twenty-five minutes the ground had begun to go up and showed no sign of leveling out.

What should have taken them just a little more than an hour, took them two. By the time they reached the building the sun was low in the sky and one of the moons – the planet had four – was already showing. Since he hadn't heard anything from Vincent, he assumed the other group wasn't doing much better. And considering they had to go a little past and then double back to avoid being seen, it would take them longer to get into position.

When they finally reached the edge of the clearing the building was in, Zack took one look and swore. Next to him Aeris' eyes widened and Biggs uttered a choked 'Damn'.

The building itself wasn't too big. It only had one floor and was surrounded by a chainlink fence – which seemed flimsier than it actually was. Standard procedure for scientific outposts, they tended to have the labs underground. But that wasn't what had made him swear.

Something had obviously attacked the building. And had won. Part of the fence lay flat on the ground as if trampled and the reinforced steel doors offering entrance had been blasted off their hinges. Two bodies lay before the destroyed doors, blood long since dried around them and bits missing where the local wildlife had eaten them. Determining the cause of death would prove impossible.

Whatever had happened had happened fast. They had never had the chance to send a distress signal or a chance to organise themselves long enough to fight back.

"I tought you said there wasn't anything here that would be a problem apart from the one creature. And I'm pretty sure they were prepared for that, seeing how they were here for years." Biggs querried.

"I … I don't understand." Aeris wispered back "This planet isn't very strong. I can't talk to it right now, but it did say there was no danger before fading. It mentioned to avoid going north, but I didn't think it relevant since we were going the opposite direction."

"Doesn't matter. We can't do anything about it now." Zack interrupted. Without taking his eyes of the scene infront of him, he removed his communicator from his pocket and contacted Vincent. There was a tense silence while they waited for a response and a collective sigh of relief when it came.

"We are about ten minutes from the target. Apologies, we ran into some difficulties concerning the vegitation." Trust Vincent to apologise for things that were out of his control.

"It's fine. We only got here ourselves. Contact me when you reach the clearing and be extra vigilant. There could be trouble."

"Understood." Came the reply.

They didn't have to wait long before the communicator crackled back to live.

"The backdoor you mentioned is open. There does not seem to be any movement."

"There wouldn't be" Zack mumbled to himself. He continued in a louder voice " Right, proceed with caution. We will meet in the library, which holds the stairs to the basement. Something happened here, people. I don't want us finding out that something is still here the hard way, so no splitting up. Aeris, you stay between me and Biggs. No, no arguments. I know you can handle that stick you call a weapon, but I need my only medic out of the line of fire."

"Understood."

"Gotcha!"

"Yes, sir!"

"Let's go."

And with that they were off. Zack kept his gaze on the building infront of them, trusting Biggs to watch the back. He gave a quick warning when they reached the fence as there was a chance there was still electricity running through it. He didn't want anybody hurting themselves before they even made it inside.

Once they reached the smashed doors, Zack slowed down. He avoided looking at the bodies more than absolutly neccesary and changed to breathing through his nose. Yep, the smell was as bad as he had expected. He saw the others do the same out of the corner of his eyes, Biggs looking a little greener than before.

Cautiously peering around the corner, he was met with an empty corridor. Muffled sounds were coming from the other end of the building, sounding suspiciously like the clanging of metal against stone, making him cringe. _Looks like Vincent and the others found the kitchen._

Slowly stepping towards the first door he peered inside, sword poised to strike. The sound of door opening behind his told him Biggs was checking out the room opposite. A small bedroom met his gaze. Two bunk beds, a dresser and a desk. Standard work provided room. Deeming it safe, he turned to the second door where the same view was located. All the same exept one detail.

On one of the bunk beds was another body. This one was slightly better preserved – as in not eaten by animals – and the cause of death stood out in stark relief.

"Gunshot wound. Poor bastard never even stood a chance." Biggs said.

The revelation was troublesome. The fact that a gun had killed him indicated that the perpetrator was humanoid. Which meant that either one of their own had for some reason turned on his colleagues and killed them or a third party had attacked them. The broken fence and smashed doors indicated the latter.

Moving over to the next two rooms showed another bedroom – this one with three bunks – and a communial bathroom. Both empty of anything exept furniture.

The last room they entered was the library where the others were waiting for them. There were shelves upon shelves filled with books and research papers. A computer terminal stood against the back wall. The entrance to the basement right next to it. Just like the rest of the building, there was nothing that indicated the gruesome tragedy that had happened here.

"Anything?" He asked Vincent. Going by Wedge's pale face and Yuffie's unnatural silence, he could pretty much guess the answer.

"Two bodies. Both shot. One in the head, the other the chest. No indication of a struggle. It happened fast."

"Right. Counting the three we found, that makes five. I'm willing to bet those were the guards stationed here. So that leaves the scientists. Let's hope they had more luck."

Going down the stairs wasn't as quiet as he'd liked, thanks to the wood groaning with each step, but it didn't take them long to reach the bottom. And by now he was pretty sure there was nothing living here. Whatever had attacked the place was long gone. But it never hurt to be cautious, so he didn't let his guard down just yet.

The first room they entered seemed to function as a warehouse of sorts. Over a dozen cages, varrying from small to large, were stacked haphazardly throughout the room. The smell of death hung heavy in the air, making the hairs on the back of their necks stand up. A quick glance into the cages revealed the source of the smell.

Seven of them held the carcass of some kind of creature. _What kind of research were they doing here exactly?_ Stepping closer in order to see clearer, Zack wrinkled his nose. Some of the creatures had been shot, while others seemed to have just starved to death. _What a way to go._

Throwing a last glance around the room, he led his team to the door imbedded in the right wall. Upon opening it was revealed to give access to a corridor. Three doors were looming up ahead, all of them opened a crack.

Next to him, Vincent made a motion indicating he should take point. Seeing the logic in the mans silent statement – he couldn't use the Buster sword in the small corridor – Zack gave a nod and stepped back. With another silent command, Wedge came forward and together the two of them moved into the corridor. The rest of the group followed at a short distance, Yuffie and Biggs taking the rear.

The two paused at the first door only briefly, apparently what was behind it didn't require much checking. When he passed it, he threw a quick glance inside. What he saw surprised him. The room revealed to be another bathroom. Although 'bathroom' was was Zack being generous. A bunk and a smaal attached bathroom. That was it. _Maybe the scientists stay here when they are to tired to go upstairs._

Seeing Vincent and Wedge position themselves infront of the second door, he motioned for him and Yuffie to take the last one. Positioning himself so that he could move fast if need be, he entered the room slowly. Yuffie followed close behind, her hand holding a smaller version of her throwing star.

This room turned out to be the lab. Out of all the rooms the had seen in the building, this one was the biggest. At the far end of the room was a glass cylinder attached to the floor and ceiling. Various tubes snaked from the floor to the bottom of the tank, sizes varrying from being big enough to put his head in to so small only his pinky finger could fit. The glass door giving access to the tank stood open. Dried green was splattered on the side and floor as if the tank had been filled when it had opened. Moving closer revealed the dried stuff to have an tangy earth smell, like compost. Zack's eyes widened when he realised what it was. _Mako! What's that doing here?_

Right in the centre of the room was a metal slab standing directly under a large spotlight. Leather and metal restraints hung from various points. Next to the slab was a small table – metal, like the rest of the lab – with an assortment of tools usualy found in hospitals. Aeris was studying them with narrowed eyes. _Yeah, I'd like to know what they were doing here too._

Other than the intruments and a few files located on a desk, the room was empty. No sign of the scientists. He was just about to turn and find Vincent and Wedge, when the two men came in. The former met his eyes and gave a slight shake of the head, holding two fingers up at the same time.

Two bodies. The scientists. _Great._

"Let's get out of here, people. No sense in staying here longer than neccesary." He said and started for the stairs.

"I'd like to take these papers, Zack." Aeris started. He looked at her and recognised the serious expression on her face. Something had caught her interest and she wouldn't take no for an anwer.

Now, their mission stated to find the scientists and leave everything else. And normally Zack would have complied without a second thought – at least, he'd like to think so – but the macarbre surroundings and strange creatures had made his curious. There was more going on here than normal research and he didn't like being in the dark.

"Fine, make it fast. Yuffie, Wedge, give her a hand. The rest of us will go outside and see if we can't find anything that could help us determine what happened here."

Aeris gave him a small smile before turning and helping the younger girl with collecting the papers. Turning, he made his way back outside, the two others following close by.

"What do you think?" He asked them once they were out.

"Something feels wrong. This is not the type of mission we should have gotten." Vincent stated, appearing deep in thought.

"What do you mean?" Biggs asked.

"He means that this has the classic signs of a highly classified project, it might even be illegal. We never should have gotten the command to come here. Hell, we never should have even known this planet existed. I'm beginning to think someone led us here."

"So that's why you're allowing Aeris to take those papers."

Before Zack could either confirm or deny that assesment, movement to their left drew their attention. They saw a flash of yellow and blue before a humanoid figure disappeared into the dense bush. Not wanting to lose time Zack started shouting orders while running in the same direction the figure had disappeared in.

"Biggs, warn the others! Vincent, you're with me!"

Whoever – or whatever, you could never be sure – was trying to run from them sure knew the area. It wasn't long before all they had to follow was the rustling of the vegetation. Not long after that, he realised he had somehow lost Vincent. He wasn't to worried about the man though, he could look after himself and would no doubt catch up soon.

He caught another glimpse of yellow before him. They seemed to be reaching a clearing, seeing as light started filtering through the trees in front of him. Speeding up just a little bit and burst into the light.

Only to realise that he was heading straight for a cliff. He heard a distant shout of "Look out!" moments before the danger registered. _Oh crap!_ His momentum prevented him from stopping in time and he could feel himself stepping on empty air, before his body started falling forwards to accomodate to gravity.

There was a sharp tug on his right arm, stopping him momentarily from furthering his decent, and he had just enough time to see a shock of blond hair, a youthful face and bright blue eyes – A kid? – trying to pull him back before he began falling again, taking his would-be rescuer with him.

He instinctively curled his body around the other on the way down, something inside him screaming to protect the person he had incidentaly dragged over the edge with him. The kid gave a startled yelp with the action.

A stray treebranch knocked him out before they hit the ground.

* * *

Zack woke with a groan. For a few seconds, his thoughts were scattered and he couldn't really understand why his head hurt or why he was apparently laying on the ground _. I swear, this is the last time I'm drinking with Cid._ With that stray thought, memories returned and his eyes snapped open.

Taking in the forest around him slowly, he quickly concluded he was currently alone. The boy he had seen on the cliff, the one who had tried to pull him to safety, was nowhere in sight.

Gingerly, he pulled himself up. The Buster sword had luckily decided to be nice and stay where it belonged – as opposed to slicing him to ribbons on the way down. A fact he was grateful for.

"Zack! Zack, please respond!"

The sudden noise made him jump. Putting one hand over his rapidly beating heart in an effort to prevent it from jumping out of his chest and using the other to reach for his communicator, he answered the frantic summon.

"I'm here."

"Zack! Oh, thank the planet! Are you alright?" Aeris yelled. Her voice souded frantic and worried. He could already imagine the scolding he would receive whe he saw her again – followed by a hug and a kiss, of course.

Taking quick stock of his body he realised that, other than the bump on the head and a shallow gash on his arm, he was in perfect condition. It wasn't really all that surprising. Thanks to his heritage, his body was sturdier than most. _Thank you, great grandparents, for deciding to live on Gongaga._

"I'm fine. Just took a bit of a tumble, that's all."

"Zack" That was Vincent "Did you see what attacked you?"

 _Oh, whoops._

"Ha, well …. not really? I mean, nobody attacked me. I sort of …. fell." And wasn't that embarrassing to admit. He could already picture the incredulous faces of his crewmembers.

"Do you want us to pick you up with the shuttle?"

He took a moment to ponder the question, taking in his surroundings again.

"No, the forest's too dense. Head for the shuttle and wait for me. If I come across an opening in the trees, I'll contact you and you come and pick me up. If not, I'll meet you there."

"Understood."

"Be careful, Zack."

"I will, I promise. I'll see you soon." He responded with a small grin. Throwing one last look to the top of the trees above him, to where he assumed his crew to be, he started heading north towards where he remembered the shuttle to be.

* * *

He had been walking for a good while and his surroundings hadn't changed even a little. Everywhere he looked he say trees, trees and _oh, look_ …. trees. Had he not been going steadily uphill, he would have thought he was walking in circles. Luckily, the vinelike plants they had encountered on their way to the facility were absent here so he had an easier time walking. If all went well, he should reach the shuttle within the next hour. His only worry was that he wouldn't be able to reach it before it got dark. And considering he had fallen quite a distance, that was a very real possibility.

Casting a glance at what little sky he could see inbetween the trees, he realised his worry would soon become a reality. Already the sun was hidden from view, only the fading light showing that it had not set all the way. He had about another half hour before it would be dark completely. He hadn't really forgotten Aeris' warning.

 _I should probably start looking for shelter and just continue in the morning._

He was just about to reach for his communicator when something barreled into him from the side, sending him crashing to the ground. Only his reflexes prevented him from taking the full brunt of the attack. As it was, he could feel his breath leaving him on impact.

Glowing blue eyes were watching him from a few metres away, the trees hiding whatever-it-was' form. Going by the eyes, it was big though. Really big. He was pretty tall himself and the thing's eyes were still a few heads above him. But what really worried him was that despite its size, it was completely silent.

Even with his sharper than normal hearing, he hadn't heard anything until the thing had literally knocked him of his feet. And even then it had made a minimum of noise.

 _Great, big AND silent. Life hates me._

He had just enough time to roll out of the way when the thing attacked for a second time. Quickly snatching the Buster sword from his back, he assumed a fighting position. His eyes followed the glowing eyes – and he was lucky life gave him at least that breather – while he strained his ears to the maximum, hoping to get an earlier warning when it moved.

This time he was able to predict when the thing charged and with a quick dodge followed by a swipe of his sword, he was able to hit it before it got out of reach. He had a momentary glimpse of pale fur before it disappeared between the trees again. _Bastard really knows how to use the area to his advantage._

And the terrain was indeed ideal for the creature. While it had ample space to move swiftly and silently, Zack had next to no room to swing his sword properly. He had been lucky to wound it on the first try. He doubted he would get lucky again. Especially since the creature seemed to have realised the danger of the sword and was changing tactics.

It charged him again and just like the last few times Zack dodged out of the way. But this time the thing didn't retreat. It followed its original attack up with a second, just as vicious, swipe, managing to hit him on his back. He managed to stay upright, but for the second time that evening he had the wind knocked out of him.

Turning, he saw the creature charging him again. _Shit_. Moments before it would have reached him, he noticed another set of blue eyes and felt something tackle him out of the way. _What is this, national tackle Zack day?_

"What the hell are you doing? You can't fight it here!"

Huh, whatever had barreled into him this time could talk. He should probably answer the question. After he got his breath back. _Just give me a moment._

The voice didn't give him a moment. A surprisingly strong hand grabbed his arm and started dragging him forward. Having still not regained his breath, he didn't protest when the person – because thats what it was – started dragging him away opposite from where he had been going.

"Come _on_ , you idiot! Don't make me regret this!"

Hey, that wasn't fair. In the last few hours he had fallen off a cliff, had been walking upward the whole time trying to get back to his team and had had the wind knocked out of him more times than he cared to count. He was allowed a few minutes to recover. And the kid knew about least half of that.

Because now that he had a better look at his rescuer, he could see it was the same person that had grabbed him back on the cliff. Although he could only see the back of his head, he'd recognise that shock of blond hair anywhere. _Wonder if he has it dyed._

The kid – _lets call him Spiky for now, fits with the hair_ – ran at a punishing speed. Weaving through the trees, occasionally jumping over roots. All the while maintaining a strong grip on Zacks arm, as if afraid to lose him. _And hey, maybe he was_. Zack had to do his hardest to keep up with him. Even with his stamina, Spiky was outrunning him easily.

Absently swinging his sword on his back, he tried to prevent himself from falling over roots and other obstacles he could only barely see in the dark. He had a feeling that if he fell behind, Spiky wouldn't wait for him.

He couldn't hear the creature following, but then it had been nearly silent for the whole time. For all he knew it could be right behind him. That thought made him put on another burst of speed, so much so that he was starting to overtake Spiky, who threw him a surprised look. He refused to look behind him though, fearing that he would be met with two glowing blue eyes towering over them.

Finally, after what seemed like hours but was probably only minutes, they seemed to reach their destination. The ran into a large clearing the size of one of those football fields back on Earth and Spiky came to an abrupt stop, making Zack flail to avoid crashing into him.

"What the hell are you doing?" he cried, miffed for almost hitting the ground again.

"It won't attack here. It knows it would lose if it did. We should be safe." And damn it, the kid didn't even sound winded. He was breathing harder, yes, but opposed to Zack gulping in air like a drowned man, he sounded like he had just gone for a light jog.

"How can you be sure?"

"Look."

And Zack looked. Spiky was looking at the direction where they had come from and when Zack turned his gaze, he could see movement in the trees. A few moments later a figure stepped out in the clearing.

For the first time, Zack could see the creature that had been attacking him. As he had realised early on, it was big. It stood a few head over him and was bulkier than Barret. White fur covered the humanlike arms and legs and a powerful tail swung lazily behind it. It reminded him of a gorilla, albeit the biggest one he had ever seen – not that he had seen many, mind you. Tusks the size of his forearms portruded from its upper lip. The creatures blue eyes were watching them intently, but it didn't seem to feel any need to come closer.

Next to him, Spiky moved his hand to the band of his baggy trousers. He realised only now that a large sword was attached to the belt and the blond had put his hand on top of it, ready to draw if needed. Following the example, Zack put his hand on the hilt of the Buster sword.

A few tense moments passed before the thing gave a loud snort and turned around. Both men stayed watching the place it had disappeared a little longer. Eventually they deemed it safe enough and Zack gave a loud exclamation of relief.

"Phew, finally!" he said while falling on the ground in an undignified heap "Thanks, Spike! I owe you one!"

"…. Spike?"

"I thought I was a goner for sure! I swear that thing was out to get me and ….. hey, where are you going? Wait!"

The blond, who had been walking away, turned and threw him a questioning gaze.

"What?"

"Where are you going?" he asked again.

"I'm …. leaving, I guess."

"Yeah, I noticed that. What I meant was why are you leaving? That creature is still out there."

"I will be fine. I know what to do."

"Okay. Then what about me? What if it came after me again?"

He could see the reluctant acceptance forming in the other's eyes and decided to go for the finishing shot. "I mean, it'd be a real waste for you to save me only for me to get killed anyway. Right?"

"Fine. We'll stay here for tonight. No use going in the dark, I suppose."

Zack grinned. Score one for Zack.

"Great! Name's Zackary Fair, by the way. I prefer Zack."

The blond looked at him with narrow eyes, as if to see if he was trying to pull a trick. Zack kept his expression as open as possible. Aeris did always say he had an honest face. Finally, he replied.

"Cloud Strife."

* * *

 **Let me know if you liked it! Chapter two should be up soon, depending on my internetconnection.  
**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you for the reviews!**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

"So what'd you do to end up on this poor excuse for a planet?"

It was a few hours into the night now. After contacting his team and telling them to go back to the ship and wait for further orders, he and Cloud had made themselves comfortable in the middle of the clearing. Vincent had suggested to pick him up, and he had seriously considered it, but in the end he had decided against it. He wanted to know more about his new compagnion. And short of sedating him, Zack was sure there was no way he could get him to board the shuttle. So he had taken the middle ground.

He had opted early on to start a fire, but Cloud had shot that idea down before it had even been properly formed. He reasoned that in order to get enough firewood to last the night, they would have to venture into the forest again. And they had no way of knowing if the creature from before was still out there.

"Excuse me?"

"The uniform's kind of obvious. The other guys in the research facility were wearing the same one."

For a moment, he saw what looked like relief flicker through the blonds eyes, but it was gone too soon to be sure.

It was the only explanation he could think of. The dark blue longsleeved shirt and baggy trousers were the same as he had seen on the corpses, albeit a little too big for the kid. Even the leather gloves and teal scarf covering the lower half of his face were identical.

That left the problem that there was one too many. The mission report had said seven and if Zack had done the math right, there had been seven bodies at the facility. So how did Cloud fit in? Was this a case of misinformation or was there more going on?

 _Argh, too many questions!_

Breaking out of his musings, he realised that the other had never answered the question.

"Spike?"

"I … I'd rather not talk about it." came the mumbled response.

"Okay. Well, you don't have to if you don't want to. I was just curious, is all." Cloud threw him an incredulous look, as if he couldn't believe Zack wasn't going to force him.

"Really, I'm serious! It's none of my business. Heck, I don't even know the life stories of half my crew."

"Thanks."

He briefly entertained the thought to ask him about what happened at the facility, but decided against it with a shake of his head. He had a feeling Cloud would clam up just like he had done before. But he did want to talk to the blond, partly because he wanted to know more about his new compagnion and partly to fill the silence of the forest around them.

"…. Could you at least tell me where you're from?"

Cloud gave a soft laugh. Still smiling he answered "Nibelheim."

Zack couldn't help it. He snorted.

"Nibelheim? That sounds so backwater!" _And oddly familair_. The thought left his mind just as soon as it had come.

"Oh yeah? And where are you from then?" the other man asked defensively.

"Gongaga." There was obvious pride in the response. And just like Zack had done before, Cloud snorted. And then burst out laughing.

He threw the blond an irritated glance which made the other laugh even louder. Rethinking the last few moments, he suddenly started joining him.

"Yeah I admit. They both sound backwater." He got out inbetween the laughter.

They eventually pulled themselves together and sat in compagniable silence, occasionaly broken with small talk.

* * *

"… I don't know what happened, you know."

"Huh?" It was a few hours further and Zack had started to nod off. The sudden confession had pulled him from the edge of sleep.

"To the people at the facility, I mean. I know you've been wanting to ask. Two weeks ago I woke up and everyone was dead. It's just been me and a friend after that. I have a vague idea though."

Zack wasn't sure what he should be more worried about. That Cloud had apparently slept through the whole thing or that the people who had attacked the complex had left him alone. Then something else registered from what he had said.

"Wait, friend? So there was someone else who survived?" That meant there was one more that hadn't been on the report.

So Cloud started explaining that, when he had woken up, his friend had been there. According to the friend, a ship in the area had experienced engine trouble and had had to make a crash landing on the planet. Unfortunatly the crew turned out to be bandits and they stormed the research facility thinking they would have the parts they needed. They killed everyone there without mercy, yet for some reason left Cloud and his friend alive.

"So they left?"

"No, they're still here. They couldn't find the parts they needed to fix the problem. They used the long-range communicator in the building and arranged a rendez-vous with one of their ships. From what my friend told me, their nearest ship was a little under three weeks away, so they could be here soon. It's the reason I was spying on you. I thought you were from the ship sent to rescue them."

"Damn. And where is your friend now?"

A solemn look appeared on Cloud's face, almost making Zack feel sorry he asked. Almost.

"We got …. trapped a few days ago. I managed to get out, but my friends wasn't as lucky. They took him to their camp. I haven't seen him since.

"Hence the spying. Cloud, that would have been suicide. There's no way you could take on an entire crew on your own!"

"Well, what else am I supposed to do? I can't just do nothing! And I'm not leaving him either!"

"Hey, don't worry. I never said you shouldn't save him. I'm just saying you shouldn't do it alone. You've got me now! Well, me and my crew."

If the topic hadn't been so serious, he would have laughed at the surprised expression on Cloud's face. Apparently the idea hadn't even crossed his mind yet.

"You'd really help me? A stranger you've only met today? Why?"

"Well …. a few reasons really. One, I owe you. You saved me from that monkey AND you tried to pull me to safety back on that cliff. Two, I know you're not a bad person and by extention that means your friend isn't either. Besides, nobody deserves to be captured by bandits. And three, it's the right thing to do. Plus, with me there, you are guaranteed to succeed."

"Why's that?"

"Because I'm a hero! And heroes never lose." He replied with a grin on his face. The following laughter was well worth the red creeping up from his neck as a result of the bold –but true! – statement.

Not long after that Zack fell asleep. The last thing he saw before closing his eyes, was Cloud keeping a watchfull eye on their surroundings. For some reason, the small smile on his face made him smile as well.

* * *

The following morning Zack called his crew and explained the situation. They had initially protested against it, saying that they didn't know enough of the situation. But they knew him well and quickly started creating plans, knowing that he wouldn't change his mind.

In the end they had decided that Zack and Cloud would go to the camp and watch their targets closely, looking for things such as the number of men, what kind of weapons they had and where they were keeping Clouds friend. In the meantime, Vincent would take a team and bring the shuttle down to where they had landed yesterday. Aeris would be going along to guide them, assuming she could make contact with the planet again.

And so began the long trek through the woods. Cloud infront and Zack keeping an eye on the back.

* * *

"So …. Your friend. What's his haircolour?"

"Excuse me?"

"I'm just curious. I'd like to know more about this mysterious friend of yours. And just asking for his name is boring."

"Oh. Uh, it's red." _Like Reno_.

"And his eyecolour?"

"….. Red." _Like Vincent, rare but not impossible._ Zack could swear he saw a grin, but it was gone before he could comment.

" _Okay._ What about his skin? You know, does he have a tan, or is he as pale as you are, or maybe even brown."

"Red." Yeah, definitely a grin.

"What, next you're going to tell me his name's Red too."

"…"

"You're joking, right?

* * *

"Hey Spike …"

"Yes?"

"How old are you anyway? You seem a little young to be a private guard."

Not expecting Cloud to stop at the question, Zack walked straight into the mans back, sending them both stumbling. He threw the other man a questioning gaze.

"Ah, sorry. I'm …. uh, I'm twenty." He mumbled. He added something under his breath, but Zack must have heard it wrong because it sounded like 'I think'.

"Huh, really? You look younger. Hate to break it to you, buddy, but you have a real babyface."

"Um, thanks?"

* * *

"So your mechanic is called Cid?"

"That's right. Man's a genius when it comes to machines."

"And he's a chainsmoker."

"Unfortunatly. Cid without his sigarettes is like a fish without water. No, actually it's worse, because a fish can't talk."

"Does he smoke all the time?"

"Yes."

"In the engine room?"

"… Yes."

"Isn't that dangerous?"

"…"

* * *

"…. for over an hour! I swear, we all thought the guy was dead. And then he …."

"Sst!"

Coming to a quick stop, Zack cast a glance at Cloud to see the younger man watching the area in front of them intently. His hand had traveled to the sword at his side. His eyes were darting around the whole area, never lingering for more than a second. Understanding dawning, Zack copied the actions.

They were coming up to the area where Cloud thought the pirates' camp to be. He mentaly cursed himself for not paying attention to his surroundings. It made sense for them to have lookouts. _Stupid, Zack._

A noise made him turn around, but all that met his gaze was the surrounding vegitation. Warily, he cast his gaze over the area. Next to him, Cloud moved closer to close the distance between them.

A sudden "Look out!" followed by a loud _zipp_ of a faser was the only warning he got before something hit him hard, sending both it and him crashing to the forest floor. _Again with the tackling?_ A grunt of pain came from above him. Realising that it was Cloud laying on top of him and that he wasn't moving, he tried to look the younger man in the eye. A hiss of pain released with the movement, making him worried.

"Cloud?"

"Just give me a minute." The blond said through clenched teeth. Following his gaze, he noticed Cloud's hands pressing down on a rapidly growing patch of red on his thigh.

"We don't have a minute."

As if to prove the statement true, a new voice boomed across the area. It was followed by the sound of moving branches and heavy footsteps.

"Well, look what we got here! Looks like we caught ourselves a pair of trespassers, boys. Now what should we do with you?" The last was aimed at Zack and Cloud.

For the first time, Zack had a clear view of the instigators of all his current problems. What he saw made him swear internally. Hard enough to make Cid proud, which was saying something.

Besides the two who were obviously humans, there were two pirates who were not. Zack had never seen a live Bangaa before, but the humanoid species was nothing like he had imagined from Vaan's stories. When the Rabanastian had said 'walking and talking crocodile', he had laughed at the mental image of crocodiles trying to walk on those short little legs. It had made him laugh at the time.

Now though, he was beginning to regret not asking Penelo or one of the other _Strahl_ crewmembers for more information. He should have known Vaan wasn't the best source of information.

Their large form hovered over him and the animal-like snout was pulled up in a sneer. Their presence surprised him, to say the least. You never saw one this far out of their solarsystem. They were a very territorial species, despite living together in peace with dozens of other his luck to find the ones that did.

"Trespassing? Oh, I'm sorry. We didn't know. If you'll just get out of the way, will be on our way." He said, pulling Cloud up with him and slinging the other's arm around his shoulder. Another hiss of pain escaped Cloud's mouth.

He was pretty sure he could take one of the Bangaa on his own, but two might be a stretch even for him. Not to mention he had to take note of the humans and Cloud's obvious injury. He was confident Cloud could handle himself in a fight, but his injured leg would complicate things. No, best to go the non-violent way. At least for now.

A chorus of laughter met his words. The man who had spoken before – who seemed to be in charge – spoke up again.

"You hear that, lads? This one thinks he's funny!" turning to Zack, he spoke with a hiss "You're not going anywhere."

Zack knew then that there was no way they were getting out of this. So he took the only way they would have a chance, however slight it was. He took Cloud's arm from around his neck, hoping that Cloud would catch on quick.

With a quick step forward he punched the man square in the face, sending him stumbling back. He felt the bone moving on impact, telling him he had broken the mans nose. Turning he faced one of the Bangaa's, pulling the Buster sword of his back in the process.

It seemed Cloud had gotten the message just as he'd hoped and was currently attacking the other man. Even with his wounded leg it seemed to be an even match. At the very least, he would be keeping the man busy while Zack delt with the others.

Ducking under one of the Bangaa's swings, Zack maneuvered his sword so it made contact with the others arm. The Bangaa screamed out in pain and anger, swiping at Zack with a blind fury that would make lesser men surrender. It also made him reckless, giving Zack more time to see through the attacks and act accordingly.

He was able to hit the Bangaa again – this time on the chest – before a hit on the back of the head sent him crumbling to the ground.

Looking up, he had just enough time to see the second Bangaa brandishing a treebranch the size of his arm. The makeshift weapon came down a second time and hit him right on the temple. For a second time in just as many days Zack's world went dark on accounts of a treebranch.

The last thing he saw before darkness decended was the second Bangaa making his way over to Cloud.

* * *

 **Let me know your thoughts!**

 **Oh, and as a side note: I have nothing agaist Vaan, I actually like him. He's just a bit ditzy when it comes to certain things. (which makes him funny)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Question: I know they are making a remake of FFVII and a remaster of FFXII for ps4. Does anybody know if they will become available for ps3? 'Cause I really don't want to pay over 3OO euros for a new console just for two games.**

 **Also, thanks for the reviews!**

* * *

The first thing coming back to him was the sense of smell. There was a noticable smell in the air, but he couldn't figure out what it was. The second thing he noticed was the slow drip of water hitting the ground. It frustrated him enough to pull hem from the brink of darkness he had been wandering on.

Opening his eyes proved to be a nearly useless act, seeing how the room he was in shrouded in darkness. A small slither of light streamed from under the closed door he could barely see, casting just enough light to see Cloud laying next to him on the ground. A quick check proved he was breathing but unconscious. It seemed somebody had applied a crude bandage to the wound on his leg while they were out.

A sharp pain brought his attention to the headache that seemed to be trying to split his head open. No doubt those knocks to the head he recieved had resulted in a concussion. He was willing to bet the tight feeling he had on one side of his face was dried blood.

"Are you alright?"

The dark was too deep to see the owner of the voice, but he could just make out a large shape somewhere to his right. It had sounded deep and smooth, comforting even.

"Who are you?" he asked. Unconsciously he put himself between the shape and Cloud.

The voice seemed to find that amusing, because it gave a light laugh. "No need to worry. I'm not going to harm him. Or you for that matter." A pause "You may call me Red."

"Spike's friend." Good, that meant one less thing to worry about.

"Spike?"

"Cloud. The hair's kinda spiky."

This time the voice gave an all-out laugh, startling Zack in the process.

"Yes, I guess that is true. Still, I'm surprised he lets you call him that."

As if sensing they were discussing him, Cloud gave a loud groan. Turning to look at him properly, Zack noticed the patch of dark in the blond hair. It seemed Cloud had not gone down without a fight. The groan was soon followed by another. It wasn't long after that he started tossing and turning, mumbling the occasional 'No' and 'Please'.

Before Zack could make up his mind on what to do – hold him or wake him up? – the shape that was Red moved. It made its way over to the prone figure, passing the beam of light on the way. Zack couldn't quite supress a gasp when the image registered in his mind.

When Cloud had mentioned his friend, Zack had automatically assumed he was another guard. As a result of that, he had come to the conclusion that he was human. He had been wrong.

The best way to describe Red would be to say he looked like a lion from Earth, although he was larger. His fur was a bloodred colour and his front paws held some kind of markings. If Zack had to make a guess, he'd say they were tribal markings. His large paws moved soundlessly over the ground, telling him what they were built for without even trying. To hunt.

But what really got to him were the eyes. They were so …. _human_. Those eyes held emotions he had only previously attributed to humans. And right now, they were looking at Cloud with such profound sadness it made Zack flinch.

Without saying a word, the lionlike animal lay himself down next to Cloud. He positioned himself so most of his back was laying against the blond, but kept his face to Zack so they could continue talking. To Zacks surprise, the blond stopped moving and his face took on a calm appearence. His hand grabbed a piece of fur, as if to reasure himself Red wasn't going anywhere.

Red huffed. "Looking at you face, I take it he didn't tell you much about me."

"No, not really. He didn't talk much about anything."

"I didn't expect as much. To answer your unspoken question: I come from a planet where my kind are plenty. I come from an area we call Cosmo Canyon and my father is the leader of our tribe. One day I was taken from them and moved here. All of this happened against my will."

"You were a prisoner."

"Yes. It seems your kind wanted to study mine. I happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time."

There was really nothing Zack could say about that. Nothing could make right the injustice that had been done. He could, however, try to make up for what members of his species had done.

"You know, we could take you back. After we get out of here, I mean. I would be happy to bring you back to you homeplanet."

Red was silent, as if assessing his sincerity. He kept his expression as open as possible. He really meant what he said. Finally, Red spoke.

"I thank you for the offer. But I'm afraid it is a pointless offer. My people are very primitive compared to yours and we do not consern ourselves with what lies beyond our planet. As such, I do not know where my planet lies. No, I'm afraid I will never be able to find my home again."

And what was he supposed to say to that?

They fell into an uncomfortable silence, each wrapped in their own thoughts. It was Zack that broke the silence.

"How does Cloud fit in to all of this? I mean,I figured him for a guard. But that's not right, is it? After all, they wouldn't allow a guard to befriend someone they were holding against their will."

"I think you already know the answer to that question."

And dammit, he did. The notion had entered his thoughts not long after he had met Cloud. And up until now he had been denying it with everything he had. The pieces all fit. The small room in the basement – a cell, he realised now – , the mako-tank, the glowing eyes even though he wasn't born on Gongaga, the ill-fitting uniform, … and now his friendship with Red.

It all made startling sense. Cloud wasn't there as a guard to keep the experiments in check, he _was_ an experiment.

"Damn. I had been hoping I was wrong." Looking at the blond, he could see a frown beginning to form. He moved closer and put his hand on the other's forehead.

"He doesn't remember it, you know."

"What?"

"Well, he doesn't remember most of it." Red ellaborated "He only had full memories from when he woke up two weeks ago. Everything else is just a jumble of pictures and conversations out of context."

"But ….wait, that's not possible. He knows he's from Nibelheim. He told me so himself. He remembers Nibelheim."

"Yes, I'm still not quite sure how it works. It's like on some level he remembers, but he can't actually recall the memories. For example, he _knows_ he's from Nibelheim and he knows he grew up there, but the memories themselves are not there. It was the same when he woke up. He sort of knew I was a friend, yet couldn't recall anything about me."

"you keep saying 'when he woke up'. Cloud mentioned it a few times as well. What exactly do you mean by that?"

"He means when I woke up from my coma." A new voice answered. Turning, they could see Cloud trying to sit up and looking at them. It seemed he had woken up and heard what they had been discussing.

"What Red said is true. I don't remember much of what happened before two weeks ago. What I do remember, I see in my dreams. I usually forget them when I wake up, except the really strong ones." He gave a short laugh. "Whatever they did to me resulted in me falling into a coma. Who knows for how long."

"Too long." Red added silently.

"Anyway, it messed with my head. Even I don't know what's going on up here."

"Do you know why? I mean, why they did this?" Zack was afraid of the answer. He wanted to believe that Cloud had somehow deserved it, that he had volunteered. But he knew that wasn't it. Unless Cloud had done something really bad when he was a teenager, the timeline didn't allow for it. He had already gathered that both of them had been there for a long time.

Cloud gave a shake of his head, but it was Red that answered the question.

"When I was brought here, Cloud had been here for over a year. I remember because the scientists liked to talk when they were doing the experimenting. Me and most of the other creatures were there for learning purposes only, so they never did any altering. In a way, I got lucky." _Yeah, lucky…_

The large animal continued, not noticing Cloud's eyes widening with each spoken word. _Of course, this must be new for him too._

"Cloud and two of the other creatures were there for different purposes. I never quite understood what they were trying to do, but it seemed very important to them. Before Cloud fell into his coma there was another scientist there, I always assumed he was leading the project. He was always the one performing the procedures. The man was a sadist."

"What happened to him?"

"When Cloud fell into his coma, the man ordered the other scientists to put him in the glass tube in the lab and start a new procedure. He then left, I don't know why or if he was planning to come back. It was what I assume to be a few months after that the pirates attacked."

Clearing his throat, Zack asked something he had been wondering about since Red had started his explanation.

"How long were you there?" He knew he was being too curious and yet …. he had to know.

Red looked at him with a grim smile, as if he knew why Zack was asking. "I was in the lab for two years, give or take a couple months."

Oh, by the goddess. That meant Cloud had been there for three. Which also meant he had been there since he was seventeen. He was sudddenly gratefull the blonds memory was gone. Three years of experimentation could easily drive a man insane.

A soft moan drew their attention to their third party member. Cloud was looking dangerously pale and his shoulders shook with supressed shudders. He seemed to be trying really hard not to be sick. Another moan passed his lips.

Worried, Zack made his way over to him. Turning him so he wouldn't be sick on anything important, he started rubbing small circles on his back. His first thought was that the headwound was worse than he had thought, but that theory was shot down with Cloud's next words.

"Three .. three years? Was I really there for that long?"

Red's widening eyes told Zack that the large animal had not previously told the blond. Suddenly Cloud's reaction made perfect sense. Anyone would be sick after hearing that they spent the last part of their teenage years as a test subject.

In an effort to move the conversation to a lighter ground, Zack said the first thing on his mind. "Don't worry, Spike. We'll figure it out. You'll see."

Releasing a shaky breath, Cloud pulled himself back up. Giving Zack a grateful smile, he decided to go along.

"How can you be so sure?"

The answer was simple. It earned quite a few laughs.

"Because I'm a hero, of course!"

* * *

It was a few hours after their last conversation they heard the first signs of their captors.

Red had moved back to where he had been before they had woken up and Cloud had been leaning against the wall, keeping himself occupied with his own thoughts and occasionally letting out a small tremor. A light fever had set in not too long ago, courtesy of his leg wound.

Zack had taken to doing squats. It was an activity he had done often when he was under the tuitorage of Angeal, the simple act letting his mind and body calm down. It had driven his mentor up the wall sometimes, something he had always considered a bonus point.

Approaching footsteps made all three prisoners straighten. They stopped momentarily in front of the door. They heard something heavy being removed moments before the door opened. Blinking rapidly because of the sudden influx of light, Zack noticed three men standing in the doorway. One was the man who they had spoken to before –sporting a rather fetching bandage on his nose – , another was a Bangaa who he vaguely recognised as the one that had knocked him out, but the last person was new.

He looked rather indiscriped, his brown hair and grey eyes not too outstanding and no obvious scars or tattoo's visible. He might have once been considered handsome, but the years hadn't been kind to him. He was the sort of person that most people wouldn't remember even if they were paying attention. But the air of authority that was radiating from him told Zack he was the most dangerous out of the three.

The man looked around the room for a moment, taking note of Red against the left wall and lingering on Cloud's face before turning to Zack. The latter felt uncomfortable under the steady gaze, but refused to show any weakness.

Seeming sattisfied with what he saw, the man smiled and adressed the room.

"My men tell me they found you wandering around in the forest. Now, I seemed to think we were the only intelligent beings on this planet. Don't hesitate to correct me if I have it wrong." A pause "You see, the only humans who were on the planet are dead. I know this because we killed them. I remember seeing you" here he pointed a finger at Cloud "in that glass tank, and I have to say you give a mighty good impression of a dead man, but I'm confident there was nobody left alive. So I am very curious to know where you came crawling out from." The last sentence he directed at Zack.

The way the man dismissed Red so easily, made Zack wonder if he even knew Red could talk. He wouldn't put it past the red lion to hide the fact that he was not only capable of understanding them, but also speak the common tongue. A quick glance at the large beast confirmed his suspicions. Red was nothing more than an animal for the bandits. _Then why did they capture him?_

He wasn't sure what the man expected him to say, so he stayed silent. Telling him about the ship currently in orbit with a crew trained in various forms of combat would take away the element of surprise after all.

His silence seemed to agravate the Bangaa. With an impatienced gesture, he took a step forward and pointed at Zack.

"Argh, What does it matter! This one killed Du'Nar, Cornell! He must be punished!" he said in a gutteral voice. Zack assumed Du'Nar to be the Bangaa he had fought against back in the forest. Obviously the wounds had been fatal.

"Yes. And the other one killed Jax. You want to punish him too?" Cornell asked him. He seemed surprisingly calm for revealing he had not lost one, but two men.

"Of course!" the Bangaa screetched. The other man was also looking at the prisoners with an angry expression. Zack had no doubt he wouldn't hesitate to attack if the leader gave the word _. Should have given him more than a broken nose._

In response to the rising tensions Cloud had slowly gotten to his feet, using the wall as support. His stance made it clear he was ready for a fight. Red too, while not showing a reaction outwardly, was keeping a trained eye on the three men. Between the three of them there was a more than reasonable chance of winning, even with Cloud injured, but they had no way to know what lay beyond the door. There would almost certainly be guards stationed outside. Plus something about the leader told Zack to be extra careful. No, best to wait for Vincent and the others.

"You will do no such thing. These three are are not to be harmed." Was the answer. Turning towards Zack again, the man added "They are precious merchandise, after all." with a sneer.

 _Merchandise?_ Oh, that was not good. Although it explained why they had captured Red in the first place, the words brought no comfort. The fact that it actually made the Bangaa smile made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up.

"Wh…What?" Cloud was alarmingly pale again, his eyes not leaving the leaders face.

Turning to the younger man, the man gave a shrug, as if he hadn't just said they were planning on selling living beings.

"You see, our little …. vacation has left is without a job for a while and now we are low on cash. I'd like to earn at least something from this miserable little planet. We were happy with the red beast, but I won't turn down the gift given to us. Something tells me you will earn us quite a lot. Your eyes are proof of that."

Their eyes. Their _glowing_ eyes. Of course. It was a well known fact that glowing eyes meant people from Gongaga. Not many outsiders knew it was the mako found on the planet that was responsible for this, but the enhanced strenght and endurance the eyes represented was widely spread. Even though Cloud wasn't from Gongaga, his eyes would make people think otherwise.

And even though he knew slavery was illegal, he had no doubt there would be people willing to pay for a pair of strong, capable workers.

Seemingly satisfied with the reaction he recieved, Cornell turned to the other man.

"Tell Kaja to come here and have a look at that ones leg." He said pointing at Cloud to make it clear who he was talking about. "He's no use to us dead."

With a last glance at the three prisoners, the bandits strode out. The Bangaa went last, sneering at Zack as he closed the door.

* * *

 **Let me know what you think! ^^  
**


	4. Chapter 4

**Sorry, it's been really busy. Festival season has started and I'm working as a volunteer. Seriously though, some people ... On the plus side, I get to go to performances and music sessions for free!**

 **I know it's short, but this was the best place to cut it off.**

* * *

Not long after they left, new footsteps came closer to their cell. Unlike the previous ones, these sounded light and hurried. They could here muffled words being exchanged, confirming to Zack that there were guards stationed there. Knowing what was coming, he moved to sit next to Cloud.

The door opening revealed an older looking woman, who he assumed to be Kaja. Her hair might have been a bright copper at one point in time, but was now faded and streaked with grey. Her blue eyes held no emotions while she regarded the men and red lion in the room.

Finally settling on Cloud, she made her way over and dropped the items on her hand on the floor. Zack recognised bandages and other tools needed to clean a burnwound. He could not see any painkillers though. The realisation made him slightly worried.

Without a word she made a grab for Cloud's injured leg, making him instinctively pull his leg away and turning it up towards his body with a hiss. When the woman tried for a second time he moved closer to Zack, practically sitting on his lap.

Looking up for the first time since entering the room, she looked at the blond with an angry glare. Cloud, for his part, answered her with one that was just as angry. It was obvious to anyone in the room that he wasn't going to let her anywhere near his leg.

"Listen up, ya little bastard. If ya don't let me look at that, I'll be calling in them guards. My orders are to clean that wound and I don't give a shit about what happens to ya while I do it. So If I have to restrain ya, I will." Under her breath she mumbled "Can't believe I'm doing this. Captain just _had_ to pick me."

Cloud gave no idication that he had heard, just kept glaring at her. One of his hands unconsiously found the hem of Zacks shirt. The small gesture made him realise that Cloud was doing his hardest to stay strong. It slowly dawned on Zack that the whole situation might be bringing back unwanted feelings or even memories to the blond. Couple that with the slight fever and the exhaustion and Zack was surprised he hadn't cracked already.

In an effort to ease the younger mans discomfort, Zack spoke up.

"Can I do it?"

His question made the woman look at him as if he had just grown a second head. Red too was looking as if he couldn't quite understand what Zack had just asked. Or why. And if he was honest with himself, he was wondering the same thing.

It was the slight relaxing in Cloud's posture however, that made him continue before the woman had a chance to respond.

"I mean, you probably have better ways to spend your time. You could leave the stuff here and I'll do the work for you. You won't even have to get your hands dirty." He said, hoping he was saying the right things.

And apparently he was. The woman looked thoughtfull for a moment before nodding to herself. She turned to Zack with another glare. _Really, was that her only expression or something?_

"Ya got half an hour. Then I come and take away everything."

With that she got up from where she had been croutching and walked to the door. After it opened she gave a quick order and stormed away, leaving behind a perplexed guard. With a shake of his head he closed the door again and they could hear the heavy object being moved into place.

As soon as the sounds faded, Cloud released a shaky breath and slumped against the other man. Staying strong had taken more out of him then he had let on.

Letting out a soft sigh of his own, he turned to the younger man. What he saw made him frown. He could feel the slight heat coming off of the smaller body, but it was Clouds face that concerned him. He had gone pale again and his eyes were blinking rapidly, as if he was trying to clear his vision.

He could feel Red coming closer behind him and wasn't really surprised when the large animal positioned himself on Clouds other side. He didn't touch him, just sat close enough to provide comfort.

Pushing Cloud back so he was leaning against the wall instead of him, Zack reached for the supplies the woman had brought. As he had feared there were no painkillers, but he did find a some antibiotics and a water bottle. Deciding to give those first, he turned to look at Clouds face.

"Spike?" He asked, seeing that Clouds eyes were closed. The blond responded with a groan an a slight twitch. "Spike, come on. I need you to take this. It'll help, I promise."

Opening his eyes a little, the blond looked at Zacks face. With a sigh he reached for the pills the other man was holding out and popped them in his mouth. Zack handed him the water bottle after he had swallowed them. When he was finished drinking, he took the bottle away and grinned.

"Now I know you want to sleep. And you can sleep all you want, but we need to clean your wounds first, buddy. Can't have you get too sick to escape!"

"Okay." Came the weak reply.

Having gotten permission – he would have done it anyway, but it was nice to know Cloud was comprehending what was happening – he used the scissors provided to make the hole in Clouds trousers slightly larger. Cloud stiffened slightly, but made no move to stop him.

The whole process of cleaning and bandaging the wound turned out to be easier then he had feared. Cloud was too tired to let out anything more then the occasional moan and soft cry. His leg twiched when Zack accidentaly went too deep, but otherwise stayed still. Well, as still as one can keep a leg when they are cutting of pieces of skin without sedatives. _I guess three years of experimentations has at least some advantages._

When he finished cleaning and sewing the wound, he used the bandages to wrap it in tightly. The leftover bandages he used for both Clouds headwound and his own. Luckily, his own headache wasn't anything more then a dull throbbing. Still, a few painkillers would have been nice.

Cloud had fallen asleep when Zack had been treating his headwound, his expression smoothing out and his breathing growing lighter. Having nothing more to do for the moment, Zack could feel his own exhaustion surfacing. With a look at Red, he sat himself down again next to the blond and closed his eyes, trusting the red animal to wake him should something happen.

He was asleep before Kaja came back.

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 **As always, let me know what you think.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Random piece of trivia: Blonde is used to indicate a woman with blonde hair, whereas the male counterpart is called a blond. So everytime someone writes Cloud as blonde, they are incidentally making him female. Hah, poor Cloud ...**

 **Anyways, Enjoy!**

* * *

The sound of shouting woke him from a dreamless sleep. Blinking his eyes he glanced around the small room, trying to remember what had happened before he fell asleep. Next to him Cloud was watching the door with an unrelenting gaze, as if he was trying to see right through the heavy piece of metal. Red was still in the same position as before, the only thing showing he was paying attention to the sounds the tight hunch of his shoulders and the occasional flick of his tail.

Deciding to follow their example, he focused on the sounds. As soon as he did so he realised it wasn't just shouting they were hearing. There was the distinct sound of fasers mixed in with the sounds of pain and anger. The realisation came over him quickly. The camp was under attack. And there was only one reasonable explanation.

His team was coming to the rescue.

The sudden noise of a machinegun filled the air, making Zack smile. _Barret_. Next to him Cloud stiffened, not being used to the loud noise and having no idea it was friendly fire. To Zack, it was a reassurance. The presence of his assault officer meant his crew was bringing out the big guns.

And, if he knew his team well – and he liked to think he did –, it was also a distraction. The flashy way with which Barret attacked drew away attention from other areas. Like their cell.

As if on cue a muffled grunt could be heard just outside their door, followed by something heavy hitting the ground. They could hear the barrier being removed before the door opened slowly. And if he knew his crew the door would open and reveal …. _yep_.

Just like he predicted the sight that greeted him was the crimson of Vincents cloak. Behind the gunman he could just pick out Yuffie's small form. She grinned as soon as she saw him.

"What's up, old man? Couldn't defeat some bandits?"

Pulling both himself and Cloud up, he replied "Nah. Just didn't want to take all the fun. I know you'd appreciate a good work-out." Turning to Vincent he said "Aeris?"

To which the other man replied "Aeris."

And really, that was all the words that needed to be exchanged. It meant that Aeris had been able to communicate with the planet long enough to not only know where the camp was located, but also where everybody was and how many bandits there were.

Yuffie's gaze went to Cloud. It rested on his face for a moment before going to his bandaged leg, grimacing when she saw it. Snapping her eyes back to Zack – and taking a moment to look at the bandage around his head – she was just about to say something when Red decided to make his presence known.

When the large animal entered her vision, she yelped and had a hand on her weapon before Zack's voice stopped her.

"Wait! He's not going to harm you! He's a friend."

Looking at Vincent to make sure the man had heard his words as well, he saw that the stoic man had a hand on his gun, but that the weapon itself was still holstered. Knowing Vincent, the man had probably already seen Red as soon as he opened the door. From that he could conclude that the man had been weary, but had not considered Red a threat.

"Wait? He's a friend? So what, are you saying you managed to tame a wild beast while you were a captive?" Yuffie shrieked.

Luckily for him, Red chose that moment to interrupt.

"I can assure you, I am quite tame. In fact, I can be downright civil most of the time." He said with a grin.

And oh, the look on her face when she realised it was the lion that had spoken. _Priceless._ A snort next to him told him Cloud was having similar thoughts. If Vincent was surprised he didn't show it, although a small grin graced his lips.

The moment was broken with the sound of another round of gunshots. Shifting in what the crew secretly called captain-mode, Zack adressed his compagnions.

"Yuffie, radio to everybody on the ground not to shoot Red. Tell them he is friendly. I don't want him hurt because one of our own didn't know the situation. After that I need you and Vincent to act as our bodyguards. I won't have full range because I'll be carrying Cloud."

"Cloud. You can barely walk, so I'll have you be my eyes. Alert me as soon as you notice something coming towards us. Red, I need you to stay close to us. Yuffie and Vincent will be guarding our front and sides, so I'll need you to watch our backs." Both nodded in understanding.

Turning to Vincent, he asked the man "Any idea were those bastards keep my sword?" Because he was not leaving without it.

The man aswered with a nod. "Tifa is going after it. It's on the other side of the camp."

"Good."

He would really miss the feeling of the Buster sword on his back, but it wasn't as if he could use it at the moment. Cloud was a little more important than the sword. It did however make him completely weaponless. As if sensing where Zacks thoughts were heading, Vincent reached behind him and revealed a small faser.

Unlike their mainstream starfleet counterparts they didn't carry fasers as a standard. Men – and women – in their branch who used a firearm as a main weapon usually used a more authentic form, saying they provided a more accurate aim and better results. The also often grumbled as the weapons being a 'cheat' and 'unrefined, ugly things'. Although they did have a small stock of fasers, they were practically never used.

So to say that Zack was surprised would have been an understatement. He never would have thought the gunman – who hated the things with a passion – had had the insight to bring one. Accepting the offered weapon he indicated they were ready and excited their former prison.

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 **Does anyone know about a nice drawing/picture with Zack and Cloud as friends? All I can find are yaoi ones and while I don't mind them, I don't really ship them (I'm a real stickler for canon).**

 **And in answer to a review: No, I don't have any plans to have them meet with Enterprise. Not because I don't want to, but because I don't really know the crew enough to write them accurately. I might however introduce other FF characters (I already know a plot and everything).**


End file.
